The Ceremony will take place at the Clifford Phaneuf Education Center at Porter Lake at Forest Park on Saturday, November 6, 2021 at 11:00 am.
A panel has been installed to acknowledge the past planting of hemlock trees which shaped the ‘V’. Area businessman Philip Cambo donated an 85-foot steel flagpole which will be installed next spring at the original location of the planting. Charlie Arment Trucking is providing warehouse space to store and prepare the pole for installation. Over the past two years, the Park Commission requested research on the original planting and voted to have an information panel installed at the Phaneuf Education Center. The panel describing the historical importance of this planting will now ensure that future generations are aware of this former visual victory planting and the reason for the flag flying high on the hillside overlooking picturesque Porter Lake.
As part of the Saturday ceremony, the City and the Basile Family will honor the memory of Joseph Basile who served his country during WWII with the US Army, 26th Yankee Division. The Massachusetts National Guard will pay tribute to Staff Sergeant Joseph Basile, who was wounded in battle and received a Purple Heart, with Military Honors and present a flag to the family for their father’s service to his country. Sons Paul and David Basile led the drive to recognize the original planting, which cannot be replicated due to forest growth. They worked with PBRM Executive Director Patrick Sullivan over the past two years performing research and then in developing the panel’s information and placement.
Mayor Sarno states, “The City is honored to recognize the heroism of Staff Sergeant Joseph Basile. The panel installed at Porter Lake will be a constant reminder of the tremendous sacrifices made by so many men and women for our country and the importance of never taking our freedom for granted. It is important that we continue to honor all of our military service personnel, first responders, and civic leaders who serve their country and local communities honorably on a daily basis. I would also like to thank the Cambo and Arment families. Their allegiance to Springfield has been tremendous over the years and I want them to know that their generosity does not go unnoticed.”
PBRM Executive Director Sullivan said, “I want to thank Paul and Dave Basile for their commitment and for reviving the memory of the ‘V for Victory’ planting in Forest Park. Our Park personnel worked with officials from the US Forest Service to find the original location of the flagpole that marked the V for Victory historical landmark. It was decided that the Porter Lake shoreline at the Phaneuf Education Center is the most advantageous viewing point of the new flagpole. This is an appropriate venue as every child that attends the ECOS program will now learn about the ‘V for Victory’ planting and the sacrifices made by our Armed Forces during WWII that fought for freedom throughout the world.”
The City of Springfield dedicated the ‘V for Victory’ landmark in Forest Park by using discarded Christmas trees to form a huge victory ‘V’ on the far side of Porter Lake. The ‘V for Victory’ campaign was started in Belgium in early 1941 against Nazis occupation. In 1941, when the United States entered World War II, the U.S. officially entered the ‘V for Victory’ campaign as a symbol of our country’s freedom and for the rights of countries invaded by the Nazis.
